


blue waves in the crimson sea

by stormyemerald



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:54:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29879352
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stormyemerald/pseuds/stormyemerald
Summary: Fleeting moments. Those felt common with Tifa, like Cloud was constantly scrambling for something, anything, to hold onto.But maybe they weren’t fleeting moments. Maybe those moments were just Tifa waiting for Cloud to finally act.
Relationships: Tifa Lockhart & Cloud Strife, Tifa Lockhart/Cloud Strife
Kudos: 35





	blue waves in the crimson sea

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone!! im super excited for this one because cloti is one of my favorite ships of all time!! i just had to write this
> 
> this also takes place directly after the scene where cloud holds tifa when she cries.
> 
> enjoy!

“Thank you.”

She wiped her face again, and Cloud watched as she ran a gloved hand through her dark locks, her bangs shifting with the movement.

He didn’t say anything, just watched her with an aching in his heart while she composed herself fully. 

She sighed and looked out to Aerith’s house, the ledge they stood upon perfectly overlooking the structure. Cloud followed her gaze, eyes jumping from the flowers scattered about, their petals glazed with moonlight. His hair shifted slightly in the breeze.

“Do you wanna go back inside?” Cloud said, his eyes returning to Tifa and her long hair draped down her back, swaying slightly in the wind.

She inhaled the fresh air. “Not yet.” She sat in the grass, her arms propping herself up from behind her.

Cloud stood silent for a moment, before taking the few steps he needed to before he was next to her. He sat with his legs criss crossed and his mako tinted eyes studied her profile. Her kind crimson eyes were dipped in moonlight, the reflection of the moon highlighting the different shades of red that danced throughout her irises.

Her eyes were sad, a stark contrary to their usually lively gaze. “It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” She started, and Cloud hummed in agreement. There was a short pause in the conversation, before Tifa sighed and spoke again. “I wanna enjoy it before we have to leave for Shinra. Take in these last few moments of peace, you know?” Tifa said with a sad smile.

Cloud was quiet again.

“I’m sorry. I’m just rambling again.” Tifa’s back hit the soft grass as she huffed. Cloud watched her movements curiously, feeling as though his quiet nature made Tifa feel like her concerns were ridiculous. Quickly, Cloud searched for something to say to convey that he was listening to her every word, even if he didn’t always respond. 

“You don’t have to apologize for speaking your mind.” He kept looking at the stars, feeling Tifa’s crimson gaze linger on him. “You can always...talk to me. About anything.” He added, and once he had he turned to her. She smiled and patted the grass behind him, beckoning him to lay down next to her. 

He finally leaned his back against the soft touch of the grass, eyes searching the star filled night. 

Cloud felt his skin ignite at Tifa’s touch, her hand brushing his forearm. 

“Thank you, Cloud. For everything.” She said, and Cloud turned his head to the side to meet her gaze, their faces inches apart as he stared into the scarlet ocean that looked back at him.

He made a sound of surprise and his eyes searched every part of her face, but for what he was unsure. “No problem,” was all he was able to come up with to say in response.

There was a pause, and Cloud hardly noticed as time stood still. The spell was broken when Tifa shuffled closer to him, moving under his arm and resting her head on his chest. 

Cloud’s eyes widened, and his arm hovered near her waist, uncertain of where he should place it. 

After freezing for a minute, he relaxed his arm around her and brought her closer, the night air cooling his burning cheeks.

A comfortable silence ensued them, and Cloud listened closely to Tifa’s evening breaths. Maybe it was stupid, maybe he only had the courage because he thought she might be asleep to hear it.

“I missed you, Tifa.” He said into her hair. She shuffled, apparently not asleep, and angled her head to look up at him. 

“I missed you, too.” She said, her tone bittersweet. Tifa sat up to properly catch his mako tainted eyes. She looked at him with such intensity, such fondness, such longing. “More that you could ever know.” Cloud felt his stomach do a backflip.

“I know I haven’t really...been there for you. And uh...that I left you. And that I’m shit with words, but I… I swear I’ll make it up to…” Cloud rambled, but trailed off with bashfulness as Tifa chuckled at him. Cloud turned his face away, but Tifa’s strong hands delicately grabbed his face and guided it back to face hers. Her hand rested where she put it, her skin cooling his flushed cheeks.

“You are pretty shit with words.” Tifa poked fun at him, the corners of her eyes crinkling, but the utter fondness in her voice made no room for her words to be misconstrued as an insult. “Always were.” She laughed softly. 

There was a pause, and then; “Kiss me, Cloud.” She said, her thumb tracing circles into his cheek. His whole body ignited, an incomparable feeling to any adrenaline rush he’s ever experienced. His eyes flickered from her’s to her lips as he propped himself up further. His hand came to tilt Tifa’s head up from under her chin as the arm that was already snaked around her waist pulled her in closer. 

His lips hovered over hers, and Cloud could feel the energy between them, a palpable matter that begged for the connection of their lips. The tension made the air feel suffocating, like Cloud couldn’t breath until he closed the gap between them. 

The constriction was uplifted when Cloud leaned in, an explosion releasing all of the tension between them.

Tifa’s lips were soft and her movements were urgent but slow, like she was chasing a fleeting moment and if she moved too quickly it would be frightened, dwindling away.

Cloud took his time, allowing himself to feel for once, to indulge in the emotions instead of pushing them away. The corner of his mouth curled upwards slowly, before he smiled into Tifa’s mouth slightly and kissed her harder. An uncommon euphoria took over him, driving his actions; something he rarely let occur.

Tifa angled herself to where she was above him, and pulled away for a moment. She looked down at him, her gaze searching his face like it was the first time she’d ever laid eyes on him, even though she’s studied his features a thousand times before.

She smiled at him, her eyes wrinkling at the corners as fondness poured from her heart and into her expression. It was contagious, and Cloud couldn’t help but pull her in once more. 

  
  


Cloud surveyed the sky, Tifa laying all of her weight on top of him, her soft breaths warming his chest. She had fallen asleep after they resumed their position and gazed at the stars, a new warmth in both of them after their shared kiss. They should probably return to the house, but Cloud wouldn’t dare wake Tifa. He felt a heaviness in his eyelids, but tried to stay as vigilant as possible, in case anything threatened to disturb the sleeping woman on top of him. 

As the quiet night continued, however, Cloud found it increasingly difficult to resist the lulls of the crickets and the whispers of the breeze.

  
  


“What the hell are you two doing?” Cloud jolted awake and instinctively clutched Tifa in his arms at the booming voice. He huffed and let his head hit the ground when he connected the face to the voice. Tifa sat up, untangling from Cloud’s arms as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.

“We  _ were _ sleeping.” Cloud said, rolling his tired eyes as they got used to the bright morning sun.

“Good morning to you, too, Barret.” She giggled, a yawn fighting its way out right after.

“You guys were out here all night? You know what, I don’t even want to know.” Barret said, with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk, his hands up in surrender. Then, after a pause; “Shit, now I owe Aerith twenty gil.” He said the last part quietly, but it didn’t go unheard of to Cloud, who furrowed his brow but chose to ignore it for his own sake. Tifa seemed too tired to notice. “Speaking of the little lady, we better get a move on. Got Shinra ass to kick.” The boisterous man cheered, and the drowsiness Cloud felt had practically ran away and hid. Barret hummed a tune as he turned to walk down the hill, presumably to start their journey.

Cloud stood and dusted his hands on his pants, extending one to Tifa, who smiled at Barret’s back as he walked. She turned back to Cloud, her eyes alight as she took his hand and he pulled her up.

To Cloud’s surprise, Tifa didn’t let go of his hand, and the instinct to brace himself for the bitter ending of a fleeting moment faded away when she interlocked their fingers and followed Barret’s lead.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
